Freshman English 101 & 102

Freshman English 101 (ENG 101) and Freshman English 102 (ENG 102) are 3-credit university courses which are part of the Foundations Development Program. Both courses are content-based skills courses which aim to build upon and expand students’ communicative, critical analysis, study and research skills whereby also equipping them with a raised awareness of contemporary issues. Thus both courses focus on improving both your English proficiency and academic skills, thereby helping you to be more successful in your undergraduate studies.

Pre-requisites

For ENG 101: To have obtained a minimum of 70/100 from the institutional English Language Assessment Exam (ELAE) OR To have passed one of the approved official examinations outlined on the SL website.

For ENG 102: To have obtained a minimum of 60/100 from ENG 101 OR To have passed the Freshman English Exemption Exam.

Required Course Material

In order to pursue your studies in the most effective way it is essential that you come prepared to every session.

Core Texts for Freshman English 101 and 102: “Media, Gender and Identity: An introduction” (2nd Edition), written by D. Gauntlett is the coursebook for Freshman English 101 and 102. Please ensure that you obtain a copy of this book from Homer bookstore in the very first week of the course. N.B. Photocopies of any kind will not be allowed!

Although the coursebook presents a vast array of good texts, a variety of other reading texts (such as academic articles, short-stories, journalistic articles), multimedia components (such as documentaries, films, websites), novels, and other may be used in relation to the coursebook.

Your instructor may also choose to put additional texts onto the IC student reserve. These can be accessed via the IC link on our internal website. Clicking on “Online Catalogue” will take you to the page where you can find “Course Reserves” by simply entering the course name or the name of your instructor to find out what sources have been reserved for your use throughout this year.

Keeping Up to Date

SUCourse is a web communication tool frequently used by all instructors to e.g. make announcements, upload necessary documents and tasks, or to set various homework. It is therefore YOUR responsibility to check SUCourse (and your email) regularly for news or tasks regarding your course. This is particularly important in cases when you miss work due to absence.

Making Appointments

Due to other commitments and responsibilities you may not always be able to find your instructor. Therefore please do schedule appointments formally and consult the Freshman English timetables for ENG 101 and ENG 102 in the relevant section of this guide before you propose a time to meet with your instructor:

Academic Honesty

•When your essay or slideshow presentation includes ideas or words from any other source, make this clear by naming that source and using proper APA in-text citation as appropriate. You’ll learn how to do this in this course.

•If you are “in trouble” with the preparation for an essay or presentation, make an appointment to see your instructor, and you will be provided with useful advice to complete your assignment successfully.

•Any form of plagiarism, copying or cheating will result in a penalty and in some cases referral to the SU disciplinary committee.

The Re-use of Assessed Material

Sometimes you may find that certain themes overlap across courses; for example, the theme of Gender is explored both in the Social Political Sciences course and Freshman English. Some themes may also be similar across ENG 101 and ENG 102. You may not submit the same piece of writing for two different courses; this would be equivalent to getting the same piece of work credited twice. Where you explore an area in one course that you have already explored elsewhere, it’s important that you develop the material, so that it is effectively a new piece of work otherwise it will not be marked. If in doubt, consult your instructor!

The Assignment Verification Process for Written Assignments

It is very important that you do not ask for outside help on your written assignments. You have the following opportunities to improve your language, ideas, use of source material and citation format, so please make good use of them:

Each assignment will have several steps, which may include an outline, an annotated bibliography, an introduction and thesis statement, a first draft, etc. Following these steps will help your instructor to verify that you are submitting your own work. If these steps are not fulfilled and/or if your instructor is not completely certain that the assignment you submit substantially represents your own work at your own level of ability, the following actions may be taken:

1)Your instructor may ask you to discuss/explain parts of your paper. 2)Your instructor may ask you to rewrite your paper in his/her presence within a specified timelimit with the help of your sources and a dictionary. No laptops will be permitted in this case.

In the event that the above conditions cannot be satisfied, your case may be referred to the Freshman English Academic Integrity Committee and/or the University Disciplinary Committee.

Freshman English, Academic Honesty Policy

Like all SU university courses, Freshman English 101 and 102 value students’ original ideas and opinions. Therefore, all work submitted throughout the year is expected to be the student’s own. Plagiarism, that is, presenting another person’s idea(s) or a part of their work as if it is one’s own, is a grave offence that will be met with penalty. Plagiarism also includes submitting another student’s work, cutting and pasting, as well as buying papers from the Internet or from another person. Any plagiarized work detected by a Freshman English instructor will be reviewed by a minimum of three Freshman English instructors and may result in a “0” for the assignment, failure in the course and/or referral to the SU disciplinary committee.

Plagiarism can be avoided simply by using proper citation, which is taught during the year. All papers, short essays and presentations must contain appropriate citation as stated by the course instructor. Students who are uncertain about their sourcing, or who would like a general writing tutorial for self-improvement, should set an appointment with their instructor.